Assignment

The governor of your home state has asked citizens for their input on important geological issues that could affect the state's future. As a concerned citizen, you decide to write a short essay on a topic that has geological relevance to your state. The essay should include:

1) The issue or problem to be addressed and the state in which the issue is important (1-2 sentences).

2) How the issue affects the people and/or resources of that state (2-3 sentences).

3) A few sentences describing the issue. Descriptions should include technical terms and be factually correct, but should be written at a level that the general public would understand. Do not copy scientific or technical jargon from a source just because it sounds important. If you don't know what it means, don't include it.

4) A brief summary of relevant information/data to support your argument (4-6 sentences). This information could come from historical data, scientific publications, or scientifically accurate news articles. We expect you to discuss at least 2 detailed examples to support your argument. Include numbers if they are needed. Broad statements without background information will not receive full credit. Be sure to check your facts and make sure that you are not referencing an opinion piece. DO NOT COPY ANYTHING DIRECTLY FROM A SOURCE.

5) A statement of what needs to be done to address this issue (3-5 sentences). Don't just say that the issue is important and needs to be fixed. Instead, provide some potential solutions that would spur people to think and take political action.

Here's a list of broad topics that MAY or MAY NOT be pertinent to your home state. It will be up to you to choose a more specific topic that is relevant to your state. You are welcome to come up with something outside of this list as long as your essay addresses the above points.

- energy production (e.g., oil, natural gas, coal)
- alternative energy sources
- mining and mineral production
- natural resources
- groundwater or drinking water issues
- flooding or surface water issues
- natural hazards/disasters (e.g., earthquakes, tsunamis, mass wasting)
- the weather or weather-related processes
- climate change
- other environmental issues
- jobs/human resources related to geology

NOTE: Number of sentences given in parentheses above are guidelines. You can certainly write more, but don't write less, than the suggested amount.

Instructions and guidelines:

Use standard essay format, don't write a bulleted list. Answer all parts of the question with complete sentences.

It should be about 140-200 words - roughly one page (front only) hand written.